A Little Mermaid
by Sylmarien
Summary: The story of The Little Mermaid with a Sailor Moon twist. Yuuko makes a cameo and Beryl isn't as bad as you thought she was.
1. Seagulls, Pipes and Parents

**Disclaimer: No I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the characters that may or may not appear in my story. You guys know the drill now on with the interesting stuff.**

**Note: I've taken bits and pieces from both Disney's version and the original version of the little mermaid, a book called Deep Wizardry and one called Fortune's Fool as well as some inspiration from the Mermaid Melody manga. Enjoy.**

_Long ago, humans waged a vicious war with each other that threatened to destroy the entire planet. As the scars of battle ruined land and ocean alike one group of humans who wished for peace took a stand. Known as the Wise One's for their knowledge and command of the power given to them by the Moon Queen Serenity they used their most powerful magic to stop the war. In order to ensure a lasting peace they destroyed all knowledge of the weapons and technology humanity had almost destroyed itself with as well as the weapons themselves, erasing them from history forever. _

_To further the quest for harmony they transformed those humans who wished only for a peaceful and tranquil existence into denizens of the sea, permanently separated from their warlike brothers and sisters who remained on land. To those who now called themselves Merfolk the Wise One's entrusted all their knowledge and power tasking them with the duty of caring for the Earth's oceans. After that they ascended to the oceans of the Moon where they could watch over not only Earth but the other planets in the Solar System. With the help of Queen Serenity and the Imperium Silver Crystal whose power she was chosen to wield they created an age of peace and prosperity known as the Silver Millennium. However even in the midst of their prosperity the Wise One's never forgot their people on Earth and so as the ages passed they watched over their brethren, waiting for the time when they would mature enough to join them as a part of the Silver Millennium._

Darien walked along the tide line, admiring the play of sunlight on the waves. It was a warm clear morning with the sun just rising above the horizon. It was going to be a another beautiful day that he and his twin were going to miss. Instead of having fun in the waves they were going to be watching their parents sorting out petitions from the people, settling disputes and then smiling at courtiers until their cheeks hurt during the party in the evening. With courtiers and bodyguards around all day it was impossible to get time alone, he was lucky to have escaped the palace for as long as he had this morning. Endymion had covered for him after he promised to do the same for him tomorrow and so here he was walking along the beach savouring the solitude and silence and dreading the moment he had to go back and face the music.

Sighing, he picked up a stone from the sand and looked at it for a moment, "You don't know how lucky you are." He told it, before lobbing it into the water and taking one last look at the sea. Turning around to walk back to the palace, he stopped for a moment as an unfamiliar sound reached his ears. The wind was blowing down the beach towards him and with it came the sound of someone singing, faint at first but as he moved closer becoming stronger and clearer. He couldn't understand the words; they were in another language but the voice of the singer more than made up for it. It was an indescribable voice, soaring into the night sky like a bird on the wing, strong and sure, effortlessly reaching the high notes before sinking back down to softer, lower tones.

Darien rounded a large boulder and then immediately ducked back down behind it as he caught sight of the singer. Slowly inching around until he could sneak a better look he tried to make his mind believe what his eyes were telling him. Sitting on a rock not far away, the waves just lapping at her tail was a mermaid!

Her long hair moved in the wind, the sunlight turning it to gold as she lifted her head to sing, her eyes were closed but they opened once to reveal bright blue eyes that seemed to draw him in. Sparkling at her wrists, throat and ears was a fortune in gems but Darien took no notice, lost as he was in her song. For how long he stood there, transfixed by her beauty and her voice he didn't know but eventually the mermaid stopped singing and leaned back on the rock to gaze at the sky. For a moment she looked up longingly at it, tears sparkling on her cheeks, some great sorrow reflected in her eyes before she turned to look at the forest and glance down the beach.

Darien quickly ducked down to avoid being seen, but for an instant he swore their eyes met. A splash not made by waves made him scramble up the boulder to look but she'd already gone, back to the depths of the sea, or somewhere else he couldn't imagine.

_I can't believe it!_ He thought as he slowly headed back down the beach, his mind full of what he'd just seen. _Mermaids do exist! And I saw one! She was so beautiful._ The last thought made him stop and think for a minute. Mermaids were supposed to be ugly, evil beings that lured sailors to their deaths at sea and called up monsters and storms to wreck ships. _Was her beauty just an illusion?_ He wondered, then shook his head, "No, I can't believe that someone who could sing like that could possibly do the things that the stories say they do." _Maybe that's what she wants you to think. _The small voice inside him said. "Well, if it is she's doing a good job of convincing me but I just can't imagine her doing things like that, even if others of her kind do."_ Maybe if I saw her again I could —_

That thought, and the certainty her felt that he _must_ see her at least one more time took him by complete surprise. _Has she cast a spell on me? No, she can't have! Not from just sitting on a rock, and she didn't even know I was there!_ "Ahhrrg, who cares" He slapped his cheeks and shook his head again "I'm dreaming, I dreamed it all and now I'm going to go to home, wake up and then pretend it never happened."

With that determined thought in his head Darien made his way back to the palace and threw himself into the day's activities, certain that when night came he would have forgotten the whole thing. He was wrong. Time passed, and he tried to forget his morning excursion but every time he thought about the mermaid, his heart skipped a beat and every time her song sounded in his head he ached to hear it again. Even in his dreams he sought her, remembering in every detail the instant her eyes had passed over him and her beautiful voice, echoing in the vaults of his mind.

_On the Moon Lady Kaguya, the last of the Wise Ones watched the boy closely as he woke from another dream of the mermaid. Smiling to herself she murmured "It's almost time."_

Ten Years Later

Serena explored the newly sunken ship looking for treasure. Her kelp bag was already bulging with strange objects and other fascinating things she couldn't wait to experiment with when she got back home but she wanted to make sure she hadn't missed anything else. As she poked around a luxurious looking room near the front of the ship she came upon a curious looking object. Debating whether to put it in her already full bag she was interrupted by a call from above

"Serena! Can we go home now? It's getting dark and we'll both get in trouble if you're home late again.

"Oh don't worry so much Luna we've got plenty of time, come see what I found!" she called back as she swam up out of the ship and into the open sea. She held up the strange fluted object made of wood for her best friend's inspection. "What do you think it is?" she asked.

The dark blue dolphin made her way over from where she'd been keeping watch for danger and looked at it closely for a minute. The object was about the size of Serena's hand and was made of brown wood, one end was large and open but then it shrunk to a small thin end that curved up, then slightly down and then up again. "I don't know Serena, it looks like an instrument of some sort but it's too small to make much sound," she said finally.

"I know but when I try to blow on it all I get are bubbles coming out." Serena was a bit disappointed, she'd been hoping it would make some sort of Dryworld sound.

"Well that's because it's underwater silly," Luna said, "Dryworlder things are made to be played in the air they won't work properly underwater."

Serena smacked herself on the head, then hugged her friend, "Of course," she cried "why didn't I think of that. Luna you're a genius," she let go and pointed upwards. "Come on let's go to the surface and see what it really sounds like!"

"But that will take too long," Luna said, "it's almost dark and it's dangerous to be outside the city when the sun goes down. We're not even supposed to _be _outside the city anyway. There are sharks and eels and killer whales, oh and don't forget that storms are harder to spot at night, we could be swept away by the currents." Swimming past her far too energetic friend she blocked the way. "The Dryworld will still be there tomorrow, we can get up early and go first thing in the morning but right now it's too dangerous." she herded the young mermaid away from the ship and back towards the city ignoring her protests.

"Alright, we'll go in the morning." Serena finally grumbled, "But we have to get up at first light otherwise papa will find some excuse to keep me in the palace for the next week and we'll never get a chance to go."

"Yes, yes," Luna agreed impatiently "But first we need to _get_ there. Hurry up."

By the time they reached the city darkness had truly fallen and Serena was secretly glad Luna had made her come home; it was scary being out in the open without light to see the dangers by. It was with some measure of relief that they passed over the city's well lit border and made their way to the palace. Serena said goodbye to Luna at the stables and went on to the East wing where she and her sisters lived. She tried to sneak quietly into her room but her sisters, wise to her ways were having none of it.

"Serena, do you know what time it is? We were _worried_ about you, do you know what would have happened if we hadn't told papa you were still in the city playing with Luna? How can you be so irresponsible?" Rei demanded, "I'm so sick of covering for you, when will you start to act like the princess you're supposed to be?"

"You'll never get your hairpins if you keep this up." Lita cautioned, "Maybe you should be good for a while, get your hairpins and _then_ do what you want."

"I agree with Lita," Amy said, "Mother and Father will never see you as responsible and mature enough to wear them if you don't get your act together."

"Oh you guys worry too much, I was as bad as her when I was eighteen and I got _my_ hairpins." Mina brushed off the other girls worries with an airy wave of her hand, "Don't worry Serena, you'll get yours right on schedule." She swam up to her younger sister "just think, soon you'll have permission to go wherever you like in the sea, even to the other kingdoms!"

Serena looked hopefully at Mina, "Do you really think so?" she asked, her eyes sparkling at the thought of finally be allowed to go outside the city, not that she hadn't done that before but that was without permission and she hadn't been able to spend much time there. If she was actually allowed to go out she could spend as much time in the open sea as she wanted and that would give her more opportunities to go to the surface.

"Ohh but when can I get them? Soon is _not_ a good answer I want a measurement!" she complained, "I want to get out now!"

"Patience is a virtue," Jupiter sang.

"Oh be quiet," Serena growled, then relented, "I'm sorry girls it's just that seeing you all free to go anywhere you want is really hard when I'm stuck in the palace all day. I'll try to be more patient and proper." She hugged each of her sister's in turn, "I'm going to bed now you guys, thanks for covering for me," she entered her room and closed the door.

The next morning Serena was already up and waiting impatiently by the city gates when Luna sleepily arrived.

"Come on, come on, hurry up Luna." She complained, "We have to go before someone invents something boring for me to do."

She swam in impatient circles around her friend who refused to be rushed into a swim sprint before her muscles had properly warmed up. After a good deal of stretching and flicking her tail to see how the water felt Luna was finally ready and they quickly swam out of sight of the city. Once they'd gone far enough to avoid getting caught they did a quick check to make sure no one was around and then like swift arrows swam upwards, straight and true.

Serena's head broke the surface and she immediately covered her eyes until they got used to how much brighter it was above water than below. Once they'd adjusted and she could see normally without having to squint she took out the strange little pipe she'd found and blew. A pathetic squeak emerged.

"Well I guess it's not an instrument then," Luna observed dryly. "No instrument above or below the sea _ever_ sounded anything like _that_."

"Well, then what is it? Oooohh, this is going to bug me for weeks I know it."

"Well there's not much I can do about it Serena, I'm not exactly an expert on Drylander things."

"I know, I know. I'll put it with the rest of our stash and then do some research later. Right now though I want to go to the beach."

For several months now Serena had been visiting a particular beach on the coast where a certain seagull could often be found.

Luna sighed and nodded her assent, there would be no dealing with Serena until she found out if _he_ was there or not.

"Lets go then!" Serena did a quick somersault underwater and then arrowed off towards the mainland. After several leagues they finally saw the rising seabed that signalled the beach was not far off. Serena was almost breathless with excitement, she couldn't wait to show Melvin her new discoveries.

Melvin was thankfully at the usual spot and Luna looked on indulgently, as he and Serena examined, debated over and experimented with her latest finds, the chief one being the strange pipe which neither of them could figure out a use for. Finally, they ran out of ideas and called their 'meeting' to a close. Melvin promised to see if he could find out about the pipe while Serena promised to look for more treasures.

With one last look at the shore she and Luna dived beneath the waves and turned towards home. Fortunately they managed to avoid being caught before they reached the palace, however as soon as they opened the door to Serena's room she knew she was in deep trouble.


	2. Royal Trouble

"Serena where have you been!" her father thundered as she guiltily shut the door in Luna's face, preventing her from being seen by the room's occupants. She didn't want Luna to get punished for _her_ mistakes. With a grimace she turned to her wrathful father and prepared to receive another ear splitting, guilt promoting lecture. She was pleasantly surprised however when her mother simply came over and gave her a big hug.

"Don't worry about your father dear, he was just concerned about you being outside the city alone….. Again." She said, "but I do wish you had told us where you were going before you snuck out, your absence today has ruined quite a few peoples plans and some of those had had quite a lot of effort put into them."

"Plans?"

"Yes dear, did you forget it was your birthday rehearsal today?"

Serena's eyes went as big as crab shells as she mentally counted the days since her parents had told her of the date and realised that she had indeed completely forgotten about the rehearsal.

Her sisters took one look at her shocked face and traded looks of despair.

"What are we going to do with you Serena? Rei asked. "You're a princess, you can't be doing things like this all the time."

"I didn't mean to," Serena said, hating the sound of a whine creeping into her voice, "I just found this wonderful Dryworlder instrument and I forgot about everything else."

"A dryworlder instrument?" Serenity gulped as her father's expression darkened. "Have you been exploring shipwrecks again?"

"Um, uh, yes." She didn't give him time to respond but rushed on "You see I found this wonderful instrument a while ago and I wanted to find out more about it so I kinda snuck back out to the wreck to look for clues and-"

Selene raised her hand for silence and unsurprisingly got it, everyone in the kingdom respected and loved their queen and her family was no exception.

"Let it go dear," she said to her husband, "remember what we talked about before." She turned to Serena. "Since you have spoiled today's plans your punishment shall be to be escorted outside the city every day for a week until your Birthday festivities are complete. You will practice for those festivities every night of said week with no complaints and apologise to everyone whose plans you ruined today. After that if we feel you have properly paid for your mistakes your birthday shall be celebrated and you shall receive your crystal hairpins." She finished, an impish grin on her face. "You were supposed to receive them today as part of the rehearsal to get you used to the idea but now you'll just have to wait."

Serena gasped as she took in what her mother had just said, then threw herself into Selene's arms and hugged her for all she was worth.

"Really mother? Really? Am I really going to get my hairpins?" she cried.

Selene squeezed her daughter tight and smiled down at her, "Yes Serena, it's high time you got them."

"Thank you mother! Thank you father!" Serena called as she raced to the door, "I'm going to go tell Luna! Bye."

Selene shook her head at her youngest daughter's antics and smiled, her other daughters traded exasperated looks before laughing and retiring to their own respective rooms.

One week flew by in a whirl of activity for the palace residents, arrangements were made, food and music prepared and decorations put up. Within the space of a few days the city was transformed in preparation for Serena's birthday celebration. Serena spent her day time exploring sunken ships further away from the city, dragging her assigned guards through wreck after wreck, pushing their sanity to its limits. Even the rawest recruits soon learned to tell the difference between a scream of delight and a scream of fear. The end of the week came none too soon for her poor exhausted guards and it was with profound relief that they gave her over to the palace guards and retired to their barracks in the city.

As night fell Serena was helped by her sisters as she prepared for the ceremony. Dressed in a floaty blue skirt that ended halfway down her tail, a golden breastband that matched her hair and a single crescent moon necklace she waited patiently for Mina to put the finishing touches on her hair.

Done up in buns half her hair was wound into two balls on the sides of her head with the rest left free while her fringe was left to float above her eyes –this was the signature royal hair style for those who grew their hair long enough- as Mina finished she appraised herself in the mirror and concluded that she didn't actually look too bad.

"_the proper application of clothes, hair and makeup can make anyone look beautiful_," she quoted to herself with a grin, it was Mina's favourite saying.

With one last glance at the mirror she nodded to her sisters and with a nervous smile followed them to an antechamber just outside the Great Hall.

"Now remember Serena," Lita instructed, "We'll each be announced separately, wait until both doors are opened and the herald has called your name, he'll strike the floor three times to signify your status and that's when you'll go through."

"Got it." Serena said, nervously clasping her hands in front of her.

Rei swam past and gave her a light hug so as not to muss her clothing or hair, "Remember all your lines and have fun tonight okay?" she said, then hurried to the doors as the herald announced her.

One by one her sisters gave her hugs and bits of advice and then proceeded through the doors, Rei went first as she was the oldest, then came Lita, Ami and Mina in order of their birth. At last it was her turn and as the herald swung both doors wide open she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Presenting her Royal Highness the youngest daughter of their Majesties King Neptune and Queen Selene on her eighteenth birthday, Princess Serena."

The herald's voice echoed across the room and in the waiting silence that followed Serena descended the staircase. Carefully and gracefully she swam down the stairs (no one ever actually had to step down them but it looked much grander with the steps cut into the marble than a simple slope). In silence she crossed the ballroom floor, rehearsing in her mind what she needed to do and say. As she approached the dais her sisters came forward.

Rei swam forward first and ceremoniously held up her hand to halt Serena's passage. "Who comes before the King and Queen of the Sea?" she asked.

"A daughter of the sea, seeking to claim her birthright." Serena answered, grateful that her words were tightly bound by tradition, on her own she probably would have said something silly or spoken the first thing that came to mind, she wasn't very good at impromptu speeches.

"Then stand and let your claim be heard." Rei gave her a small encouraging smile then fell back to the dais.

Next Lita came forward. "What claim have you that it needs be heard by the King and Queen of the Sea?" she asked.

"A claim concerning the worthiness of a Royal Child to step into the arena of adulthood and confirm her responsibilities as one in line for the throne." Serena replied, silently ticking off the answers, _two down, two to go_, she thought.

Lita withdrew and then Ami advanced. "By who's authority do you presume to make such a claim?" her words, by tradition were supposed to be harsh and suspicious however Ami had never been good at that so she settled for cold and commanding –she did that _very_ well.

"By my own authority as a princess of the royal family and a child of the sea governed by Lady Serenity." Serena's hands were trembling as she clasped them formally in front of her; the pressure of all those eyes looking at her was almost too much to bear.

Ami nodded coolly but her eyes spoke volumes of encouragement and support to her sister who she could see was making every effort to perform the ceremony as perfectly as possible. _Keep going Serena_ she thought, _you're almost there_.

Mina was the last to come forward. "Then as a fellow princess of the sea step forward and give proof of your lineage and right to command all who dwell in the sea." She held out a multifaceted crystal in her hands. "Be tested now by the Silver Crystal, we will see if you are truly worthy."

Confidently, Serena reached forward and placed her hand on the crystal. As soon as she did, it began to glow with a pure white light that seemed to burn away all the shadows in the room. When the light faded it revealed Serena, her hand still stretched out towards the crystal. But it was a different Serena from before, her hair now had silver streaks in it, her dress had turned from blue to pure white and her breastband was now a pearlescent white that somehow seemed to contain all the colours of the rainbow.

Mina's eyes and those of her family shone in wonder and happiness for only rarely did the Silver Crystal give a physical sign of its approval of someone. To be marked thus was an honour far above all others.

Mina nearly burst with pride as she uttered the final lines of the ceremony before stepping back and allowing Serena to pass. "You have been thusly judged and accepted. Now advance and receive our blessings and step into your rightful place as an acknowledged Princess of the Royal Line."

Rei, Amy and Lita came to stand behind Serena as she moved forward the final few steps and stopped at the foot of the dais where her parents sat.

"Your Majesties, we present to you our beloved sister Serena." Rei started,

"She has passed the trials of courage and strength," Lita continued

"And received the blessing of the Imperium Silver Crystal." Ami carried on

"We ask that you acknowledge her as a grown merwoman and present her with her own crystal hairpins as a symbol of her newly attained status and rights." Mina finished.

Selene rose from her throne and embraced Serena while her husband stood and took up the cushion a page had been holding beside him. On the cushion were two beautiful hair pins, two pearls set in coral clasps shaped like small flowers. Crystal covered and hid the clasp itself, cut to resemble wings with the pearl flower being the root and the crystal fluted to represent feathers.

The wings represented the wings of the Albatross –masters of both the sea and the land for they flew over all and thus saw all there was to see of both worlds. The flower represented the Silver Crystal which grew in the middle of a secret courtyard somewhere in the palace. It was taken from the Silver Crystal itself and held a small portion of its power.

King Neptune held the two hairpins up for all to see, "These hairpins, born of the Silver Crystal itself give their bearer authority over all creatures in the sea. They are a sign of her Royal Status and her right to travel all the seas as she chooses."

He turned and pinned them, one each just in front of Serena's buns. "They also grant you the right and responsibility of one wish. The Imperium Silver Crystal will grant you one wish, in honour of your ancestors and the peace they longed for that Queen Serenity could not fully give them. Your wish is to try and make up for that so use it well my daughter."

Serena nodded and he turned her to look out over the crowd. "Honour her for she is a worthy recipient of the Silver Crystal's blessing."

With a smile of pure joy Serena descended from the dais and was promptly swept up in a five way hug by her sisters. After that the faces became blurred as person after person came to pay their respects and congratulate her. The feasting and dancing lasted past midnight and well into the morning of the next day but Serena was allowed to retire just after dawn. Exhausted partly from nerves and partly from exertion at the party she slept well into the afternoon, emerging from her room only to ask one of the servants for something to eat and then went back to bed again –the ceremony had tired her out more than she let on.

The next morning Serena woke up feeling fresh and renewed. Springing up out of bed she greeted everyone she saw on the way down to breakfast, her hairpins shining in the morning light. After eating she met Luna at the stables and they set off for her first 'official' trip outside the city and though no one else knew, to the surface. Guards, townsfolk and sea creatures alike along the way greeted her and smiled fondly at her excitement as she enthusiastically informed them of her ability to leave the city. Finally as the sun rose in the sky above the sea she and Luna made it to the surface.

It was a cloudless day and the sun reflected brightly off the water, Serena sighed as she felt the wind move through her hair, it was so nice to be above water for a change. With a grin she splashed Luna and then raced away towards the coast, jumping in and out of the water for the sheer joy of it and racing the sea birds that flew down to say hello.

Before the shore even came into view Serena and Luna heard wonderful music floating over the waves. It was a familiar tune, one of Serena's favourite pieces when she was a girl. She hadn't sung it for years though, not since her grandma had died and she'd sung it at her funeral.

"I wonder whose playing it?" she said to Luna. "Let's go see!" Leaping forward once more she quickly made her way to the shallows and hid behind a protruding rock formation to spy on the person playing.

It was a human! Sitting on a small boulder just above the tide line was a young man playing a long pipe-like instrument with holes all along its length that he covered and uncovered with his fingers as he blew into the top. It was fascinating to watch, his fingers seemed to dance along the pipe as he played and his eyes were bright and lively. He finished the song and Serena had to stop herself from bursting into applause, he was really a very skilful player. She ignored the small voice in the back of mind that wondered how he knew a mermaid song.

The next song he played was a merry bright tune that seemed to leap and dance in the air like a dolphin at play. It made Serena smile to hear. As he continued to play she scrutinised his appearance; he had short dark hair that moved in the wind, revealing piercing eyes that rivalled her own for their blueness. He was sitting cross-legged on the rock so she couldn't tell how tall he would be when he stood upright but she guessed he would be a reasonable height. His hands were callused from hard physical work, however they moved lightly and surely up and down the pipe. Altogether he made a pretty handsome picture and Serena found herself wondering if she could see his smile. Luna took one look at her dreamy face and groaned, she knew where _this _was going. Taking decisive action she pushed Serena off the rock.

"Oh no, don't you dare," she told her far too imaginative friend and batted her with a flipper to emphasise her point, "don't you dare even think about falling in love with that human. I don't care if he's the handsomest thing you've ever seen, he's a human and that's that. Don't even try to dream about it, you'll only disappoint yourself. Come on, that's more than enough for one trip.

Serena meekly nodded and followed Luna back down into the depths, however she took one last look back as she heard the pipe continue playing, its' music echoing down through the water. _I'll be back_, she promised and then turned for home.

Over the next few months Serena went to the surface every day, Luna sometimes came with her but often her duties as a palace messenger kept her away. Serena didn't mind because she knew that Luna would only complain when she found out what she was doing.

Serena had been listening to the musician.

After the first week of watching she'd realised that seeing him would be a rare pleasure as he never came at the same time twice and the times he actually came were varied as well, he would come for a morning and then miss the next two or come every night for a week then come in the morning for the next three. He was often accompanied by two men about the same age as him or possibly just a little older. When he wasn't playing music, he talked with them laughing and joking or venting some frustration that needed to be expressed. From their talks, when she could hear them Serena learned that his name was Darien and that he and his brother Endymion were the princes of their country and found it just as hard but rewarding as being a princess of the sea.

One day she decided to follow him to where he lived to see what kind of place Dryworlders lived in. She followed him one day as he walked along the beach and watched him as he disappeared inside its gates from where she hid in the waves. Darien's home sat just a few leagues away inside a small inlet with cliffs stretching around from both sides to form a natural harbour. A river met the sea somewhere near the middle of the inlet.

The city straddled both sides of the river, bridges crossing between the banks at regular intervals. Buildings stretched a little way down both sides of the coast and for some way up the river as well, however even from where she was in the waves Serena could make out the grand silhouette of the Palace. It lay further up the river on its east bank where it widened out into a small lake before flowing down to the sea. Outside the city lay a forest that stretched far up and down the coast before thinning into small tree stands among wide expanses of grass and water.

Darien came to the seashore many times to play; it seemed like some sort of release for him because as the weeks passed and Serena listened she began to realise that each song he played represented a specific mood or emotion. He always played the mermaid song though, no matter what mood he was in.

Several weeks passed and Serena discovered something else about the musician, he could use magic! It had happened quite by accident, he'd come to the beach as usual but had forgotten his pipe of all things. After berating himself for quite some time (his curses were very inventive because he didn't actually use any swear words but rather some of the most dreadful insults Serena had ever heard a person say) he looked around to make sure no one was there and then concentrated on his outstretched hand for a moment. With a small pop the pipe appeared and dropped into his hand. After blowing a few experimental notes to make sure it was in tune he started playing and Serena sat back to enjoy, putting aside the interesting bit of information she'd collected to mull over later.

Her visits to the cove continued for several months until one day Serena arrived to find that Darien wasn't there. After waiting until well past his usual arrival time Serena surmised that he wouldn't be coming at all and decided to visit the city instead. She swam up the river and listened to the gossip of the women washing clothes along the riverbank. To her excitement she found out that it was the Princes' birthday that day and that they were to be presented with their very own ship which would set off on its maiden voyage that night.

Serena would have danced a jig if she could; now she might actually get a chance to see Darien up close! If he was anywhere on the deck then she would surely be able to see him. Hiding behind a rock or in a reed patch meant that visibility was always limited but if Darien was going to be on the sea then she could get close to the ship easily and watch without anyone seeing her. In a daze of joy she swam back down the river and sent a messenger fish to her sisters telling them she would be back late that night and asking them to 'please cover for her because this was important'. After getting their rather suspicious but assenting reply she settled down to wait. It would be several hours before anything started to happen.


	3. A storm at sea

Night fell quickly as it was winter and the days were short, much to Serena's relief. As the sun set a small flotilla of floating crafts made their way down the river and out into the harbour. Most of them held commoner families who had come to watch the celebrations but some of the grander and larger ships held nobles and people of the Royal Court. Serena was hard put to avoid being seen by anybody and finally resigned herself to hiding behind one of the larger ship's rudder while listening intently for any sign of Darien's ship.

True night fell and the moon rose high above them, millions of stars reflected off the sea's mirrored waters so that to Serena it seemed as if she was swimming through the sky itself. Silence slowly fell as the beauty below and above was noticed by sailors and everyone gazed in awe at the spectacle before them. Not long afterward a great cry was heard from the city and the distant blaring of trumpets was carried to them on the wind. Whispering broke out among the ships and finally a child's voice cried out

"I can see them, they're coming!"

No one knew who started clapping but within moments thunderous applause greeted the majestic vessel sailing down the river. From the prow of the ship Darien and Endymion stood and waved to their people thanking them for their love and support on this most important day. Serena saw that he and Endymion were actually identical twins, as alike as two peas in a pod. _Well they are brothers_ she thought. _Why not twins, no one ever said they weren't the same age._

Slowly the ship made its way through the fleet of crafts and out into open water, the people still cheered as it dwindled into the distance, their cries reaching the princes even as they disappeared from view.

Long after the ship had merged with the horizon their people stood and watched, then after a while some bid their friends goodnight and sailed back up the river. Others stayed on their crafts, waiting for the return of their princes late the next day. Several people carefully switched vessels as the one's they were on left for home, welcomed by those who were staying.

Serena was long gone by this time yet her sea friends would later tell her of this and the love and devotion Darien's people felt for him and his brother. It was one of the major thoughts that influenced her later decisions. Now however she swam silently underwater, matching the ship's speed until she was sure they were well out of sight. Once she felt safe about surfacing she popped up near the rudder, one of her dolphin friends gave her a push and she hauled herself up onto one of the sand bags used to buffer the ships sides when it came into port. Keeping a firm hold of a rope she carefully peered over the side of the ship and was meet with the sight of dozens of legs and feet dancing wildly about the deck.

Pairs of men and women, all dressed in fancy clothes skipped, jumped and cavorted about to lively music played by a small band sitting to the left of where Serena sat. She watched in amazement as some of the more experienced sailors jumped high in the air and somersaulted before landing lightly on their feet without stumbling as the deck gently rose and fell with the swell of the waves. Entranced Serena forgot to look for Darien until a pair of dark boots blocked her sight of the dancing and she scowled up at the legs and back of the person who dared impede her view. When she looked up at the half turned face of Darien she nearly fell off her perch in surprise, only a quick grab at a rope saved her and for a few moments she was perilously close to falling.

Once she'd regained her seat she quickly looked around to make sure no one had noticed her antics before scanning the deck to find him again. She spotted him talking to a middle-aged man in a black suit and tie who was showing him a box of some sort.

After looking quickly in the box and then grinning at the older man he called Endymion over and motioned for him to open it. He did so and pulled out a beautifully crafted silver pipe, just like the wooden one Darien used to play by the sea. Grinning Endymion examined the pipe. The man who had given it to him called for silence and then announced

"Loyal subjects of our noble Princes, on his Eighteenth Birthday his Majesty Endymion would like to thank us for our wonderful gifts by performing for us one of his original songs on the excellently crafted pipe he has just received."

Darien pushed the surprised Endymion forward still holding the pipe in his hands. Recovering quickly the Prince glared dagger eyes at his brother who only grinned back at him before turning back to his captive audience and pasting a smile on his face.

"If I may I would like to play a piece I call _Hymn to the Sea_," he said and lifted the pipe to his lips. The song he played was one Serena had often heard Darien play as she listened by the beach though he was not as skilful a player as his brother. The crowd listened in rapt silence, entranced by the silvery tones of the pipe and the melody that issued forth from it. Endymion's face was alight as he played, all the joy and wonder both he and Darien he felt at capturing an audience flowing out through the music. One of the members of the band that had played before almost dropped his instrument overboard as he got caught up in the song. His friends noticed and stopped him before he lost the valuable instrument, their faces telling him that they too were as impressed as he was.

As Endymion finished the song and the last notes faded into the wind the crowd remained silent. For a long moment all was still until one of the cabin boys put his fingers in his mouth and whistled his appreciation. As if that were a signal everyone burst into applause, shouts and whistles, the band spontaneously playing a rousing fanfare to finish off. Endymion stood in front of the crowd, embarrassed by their enthusiasm, he knew that he could still improve much more.

An idea struck him and he walked over to the band, playing the opening notes on his pipe of a popular reel he silently asked their permission to join. The conductor caught on immediately and as Endymion continued playing he signalled the rest of the band to join in and then off they went. Dancing immediately broke out as the infectious tune started feet tapping and hands clapping, Serena wished with all her heart that she could join them but knew that without legs she couldn't. She almost turned away as the desire to go up on deck and dance gripped her body. With iron self control she resisted, knowing that it was impossible no matter how much she wanted to. Taking in every detail and fixing it in her memory she took one last look and then turned away.

As she gazed out over the water her heart almost stopped in fright. Racing towards them across the sea, unnoticed by the revellers on the ship was a massive storm bank. Even as she looked the wind rose and the waves grew rougher. As the ship began to sway harder shouts stopped the music and alarm bells started ringing. Serena jumped into the water but stayed close to the ship, unable to leave for fear of something horrible happening.

Guests frantically rushed into their cabins, securing their belongings and then holding loved ones close as the ships movements became ever more violent. Endymion helped the last guest inside then rushed to help the sailors prepare for the storm. Darien was already there, his arms full of ropes as he first tied an anchoring line around himself and Endymion then darted about the deck tying down cannons, barrels and boxes. The other sailors didn't even stop in their tasks to thank them. Here they were fellow sailors doing their jobs, performing their parts in a complicated dance that when completed would ensure their and the ships survival. As Darien caught a young sailor just about to fall overboard, the storm hit and all hell broke loose around him. He tied an anchoring line to the young boy and then grabbed the railing as a monstrous wave broke over the ship. The wood tore his hands as he fought against the current that threatened to wash him overboard, the rope around his waist bit into his sides but he was glad of it, the pain was as much an anchor as the rope itself.

Wave after wave broke over the ship and after a while he formed a pattern, hang on for dear life as the next wave broke then frantically move about his part of the deck and anchor or re-anchor whatever was about to be washed away, then grab something and hold on as the next wave broke. Looking around he saw Endymion and the rest of the sailors following the same steps. For hours the storm seemed to rage and Darien, battered and bruised wondered if he had already died and this was his punishment for whatever crimes he had committed in life. Another wave washed over him and he sensed a change, had the previous wave been a bit more violent? Was the wind dying down? As he looked up at the sky the clouds seemed a tiny bit less dark and he dared to hope the storm might be passing.

As he looked up, he failed to see the huge wave that came crashing over the ship. It slammed into him with all the force of a charging horse, snapping the rope that anchored him and tossing him over the side like a doll fallen in a river. Endymion turned in time to see him hit the railing with a sickening thud before the rope snapped and he was washed overboard. In a desperate but suicidal action he ran across the heaving deck and leapt overboard after his brother.

Serena didn't know how she saw it amidst the chaos but somehow as she peered through the flying foam and the wind she saw a dark form within the wave that washed over the side of the ship. In her heart she knew who it was but before she could move a dark shape fell out of the sky and hit the water in front of her. She watched in astonishment as Endymion swam after his brother but unable to see in the murky darkness returned to the surface. Galvanised by his actions Serena moved, grabbing his shirt and pulled him round to face her, "Get back on the ship!" she shouted at the flabbergasted man as he gaped at her in shock. "Leave the Prince to me, I'll save him!" Shoving him back towards the ship, sailors were already pulling in the anchor rope tied around his waist. With no time to explain further or waste trying to make sure he understood Serena let him go and sank beneath the waves.

Diving into the depths she followed the currents of the water and found Darien floating far beneath the surface, carried there by the force of the wave and the weight of his boots and clothes. His face was pale as he struggled to swim upwards, fighting the drag of his apparel, a line of red streamed out behind him. Desperately Serena swam under him and pulled off his boots and jacket then painstakingly slowly she pulled him to the surface. As his head broke the water Serena saw that his eyes had rolled up into his head and he wasn't breathing. Calling upon the magic that she possessed as a mermaid and a member of the Royal Family Serena drew in a deep breath and then pressed her mouth against his.

Blowing hard into his lungs she forced the magic into him and for a moment her power allowed him to breathe water as she did, he took a breath. She lifted his head above the water and then drew her power out of him. As he convulsed and then coughed out all the liquid that remained in his lungs Serena draped one of his arms about her shoulders and cast around for the ship. It was a small dot in the distance, drawn away by the wind and currents. Serena groaned as she realised what she had to do but Darien's weight and the sound of his shallow breathing steeled her resolve. Slowly she turned them in the water until her magic told her she was facing the right direction and then she struck out for shore.

The storm's fury lessened minute by minute and slowly Serena found the going easier. Instead of labouring up and down great troughs and peaks she merely had to rise and fall with the waves while she directed the currents. The wind no longer tore at her hair, it simply lifted it out of her eyes as if apologising for its previous behaviour. As the night slowly passed Serena swam on and on, her magic and instincts telling her that land was within reach and as dawn slowly broke she saw the brown smudge on the horizon that told her they was almost there.

The sun had half cleared the horizon when she finally made it to the beach, slowly pushing and pulling Darien onto the sand and out of the water. He was barely breathing as she put her ear to his chest and listened to his weak heartbeat. The place where his side had hit the ship rail was still bleeding sluggishly and he was as still and pale as the sand he lay upon.

Fear swept through her, she couldn't lose him, not after everything she'd done to save him. _And not when I know how much his death would hurt his brother and his kingdom_._ He _must_ live._ The thought beat like a drum in her head, drowning out everything else. Calmly and almost in a trance she clasped her hands and bowed her head, the words came to her.

"Silver Crystal, you have judged me able to make and understand the consequences of the wish you have given me. I make it now. Save Darien's life don't let him fall into the darkness alone. Bring him back to world of the living. I will take care of the rest."

Where that last sentence came from Serena had no idea but before she could try to figure it out, light arced from the crystal flowers in her hair to fall on Darien's prone form. The light broke into thousands of tiny sparks that collected above his heart and around his side. In the morning sunlight it looked like nothing so much as the stars had come down from the sky to hover over Darien like sparkling fire. When they faded away the wound one his side no longer bleed and looked to have had days of healing. His heartbeat was strong and steady and his colour had returned to normal.

In moments Darien's breathing changed, becoming deeper and quieter as he slipped into a natural sleep. Serena almost cried when his eyes half opened and seemed to stare at her for a moment before closing again, his lips curving up into a smile. He was going to be alright.

Relief swamped Serena, making her dizzy for a moment but when she straightened it felt as if the weight of the world had fallen away from her shoulders. He would be okay. Silently she gazed at him, taking in every detail of his face as something in her heart ached for him to wake up and talk to her.

That thought startled her and she thought for a moment to try and figure out where it had come from. Over the weeks and months that she'd watched Darien, something had grown in her heart. Seeing the way his guards respected him and how he tried to do the best he could for his brother and his people and listening to the music that poured out his heart to the world Serena finally realised that she'd come to love him. Seeing the lengths that she'd gone to, to try and save his life simply brought the fact home to her. "I love him." She whispered in wonder, "I really love him."

Her tears spilled over as she realised what that meant but suddenly she no longer cared. All that mattered was that Darien was safe. She lay next to him, studying every inch of his face so she'd never forget it. On impulse she starting singing the mermaid song he so often played at the beach. Her voice surpassed even their pipes in beauty, for hers was the voice of a mermaid.

As time passed the sun dried Darien's clothes and heated the sand and it became almost unpleasantly hot. Serena periodically left him to splash herself and bathe her tail, it would do him no good if she grew too weak from the heat to help him if he got into trouble. After one such trip Serena saw his hand move a little and hurried to back his side in case something was wrong.

His eyes fluttered open and Serena gasped as they met her own for a second. Caught in his mesmerising gaze so like her own she didn't even think to try and hide herself. After long seconds he sighed and his eyes closed once more, releasing her from their spell. His hand rose and she caught it with her own, telling him in a language universal to all beings that he was safe. As he slipped back into slumber Darien smiled sadly, dreaming of a beautiful mermaid, covered with water droplets that caught the sun like pearls as they dried on her skin.

In the time that she watched over him, Serena thought about what her newly discovered feelings for Darien would mean for both her and her kingdom. There were stories told of mermaids that fell in love with humans. None of them had happy endings. Still Serena knew that she no longer wanted to be apart from him if a way could be found for her to stay by his side.


	4. Yuuko's Cameo

As Serena stood watch over the Prince, his brother and his ship limped into the harbour of the city and gave the news that he alone had been lost to the storm. Search parties were sent out and messengers galloped at breakneck speed to all the nearby towns and villages to spread the news and ask for volunteers. Endymion headed the search and scoured the beaches and coves around the city and then further afield. One day and then two passed and he reached an inn miles from the city where a visiting princess and her attendants had lodged for the night. After representing her country in an important summit she was on her way home and had stopped at the inn to rest. After hearing about the situation from him and inspired by his determination and she immediately ordered her retinue to join in the search and went down to the beach herself to help look.

Serena sat by Darien, sometimes talking to him, sometimes singing and sometimes just listening to his steady breathing. He'd woken several times, each time his eyes becoming clearer and more focused. As the sun rose higher on the third day it became more and more difficult for Serena to stay with him, no matter how many times she went back and forth between him and the sea she was getting drier and drier. It was on the return trip from one such journey that she heard the Princess calling to her guards as she made her way down the beach. Relief followed by fear swept through Serena as she realised Darien would be safe but that it was now her own life at risk. Terrible tales were told of what Drylanders did to Merfolk when they found them and she knew that if she was seen with Darien, it would be said that the storm and his ordeal were her fault.

In a small gesture of proof of his rescue and her existence she broke a crystal feather from one of her hairpins and slipped it into it to his coat pocket along with one of her scales. She then dived into the sea and hid among the waves as Endymion and the Princess saw him and rushed over. The Princess called for help as she threw herself down beside him and felt his pulse, sighing in relief as she felt it strong and steady beneath his jaw. Endymion saw the tracks Serena had made and looked out over the sea, just catching sight of her as she dived beneath the waves. For an instant as she turned away he saw her, tears running down her face and he remembered the story Darien had once told of a little mermaid he'd seen so long ago.

As the rescue party ran over the dunes in response to the Princess' cries Darien opened his eyes to see her bending over him, concern etched all over her face. In that moment the image he held in his mind of his rescuer was irrevocably replaced. Silver hair turned gold by the sun darkened to burnished red while shadowed blue eyes dissolved into warm brown. Looking up at her he noticed his brother also bending over him. "Hey there" he said smiling weakly, "How was the party?" Endymion laughed at the question, opening the floodgates of relief as he confirmed that his brother was alright. "Well we got a bit wet," he replied, "You more so than me."

Serena's tears mixed with the sea as she swam away from the man she loved, treasuring the small amount of time she'd had with him before she had to disappear. From now on she would be unable to ever have contact with him unless she created a way. Luckily an idea was already forming in her mind.

Over the next few weeks her behaviour not only astonished her parents and family but soon slightly concerned them. For the first time in years Serena spent more time than she absolutely had to in the palace library.

Unlike a Dryworlder library which was filled with books made of paper and ink and leather, the Palace library was filled with something entirely different. Shells. Rows and rows of shelves covered in lines of small spiral shells.

Long ago a wise merwoman had seen the need to create a way to keep and store knowledge in order to pass it on to future generations. She knew that the materials Dryworlder's used to record information would be useless in the sea and so she came up with another idea. Casting a simple spell on a shell she then spoke into it everything she knew on a certain subject. When she was done, anyone could put the shell to their ear and listen to what she had said. From then on, all information was kept this way and a filing system was created in order to organise everything properly. Certain shells were used for information of varying importance and to signify a message's subject matter, decorated shells could be purchased or made to send love letters and the like and libraries were created in order to store the vast quantities of shells that were being used to record all the knowledge and wisdom future generations would need to prosper.

Hundreds of years later, the library in her father's kingdom was among the most comprehensive in the sea, any subject matter could be found if one searched long enough and that was exactly why Serena started spending all her time there. She was looking for a way to turn her tail into a pair of legs and transform into a human.

Weeks passed as she systematically looked up everything to do with the Dryworld, humans and transformation. Her frustration began to show as lead after lead ended in failure or misinformation. She began to eat poorly, picking at her food before rushing off to the library again, she lost sleep because of late nights and early mornings. Her family watched in concern as she grew thinner and less energetic. Just when her sisters were thinking about interfering and demanding to know what was wrong she finally found a lead that promised to help her find what she was looking for.

The shell was ancient, cracks were beginning to appear and it looked like it would crumble if you so much as looked at it the wrong way. Carefully and with another shell prepped and held near her mouth so she could take notes she put the ancient shell to her ear and began to listen.

"To you who is now hearing these words I would first like to give this warning. The person I speak of has great power and may be able to help you fulfil any wish. However in payment for the granting of a wish she will ask for something of equal worth. Do not seek her out unless your wish is something you are willing to sacrifice anything for because she will not hesitate to ask it of you. If the reason for the need to meet this person is not worth the price she may ask, I beg you put down this shell and find another way….."

The speaker was an old merwoman, her voice filled with wisdom and kindness. She spoke clearly and firmly which was a blessing, some of the recorded sound had escaped through the miniscule cracks forming in the walls of the shell. This meant that occasionally a sentence would suddenly stop and then after a few moments or sometimes minutes of silence pick back up again halfway through another sentence. Thankfully the description of the way to travel to meet the person she was talking about was mostly there and the method was completely intact. Serena took notes quickly and quietly as she listened and when she was done, it was clear to her that this was exactly what she'd been looking for.

The woman described a powerful person called Yuuka who had the power to cross between worlds and dimensions and grant almost any wish. If one wanted her services they travelled to her shop which was found in the space between dimensions. Getting there was difficult but if one could make it to her shop, they were assured the chance of getting their wish fulfilled if they were willing to pay the price.

It took Serena mere hours to make the preparations for her trip and when all was said and done she found herself floating in a globe of water in front of a strangely beautiful woman.

Yuuka, Serena was sure it was her, looked up from the desk where she sat and nodded.

"What is your wish young mermaid." She asked.

Serena gulped, intimidated by the power Yuuka exuded but got up the courage to speak. "I wish to become human." She said.

"And what price will you pay for this transformation? What you ask for is not easy I will require something of great value to you."

"Whatever you want I'll give it."

"Even if it is your own magic?" Yuuka raised an eyebrow at Serena's look of shock. "Your magic is what allows you to exist in an ocean that is not hospitable to your form of life, merfolk or no. It is the legacy the Wise Ones left you when they left Earth and a mark of responsibility they left you and your family. If you want to become human the price you will pay to have your wish granted is your magic.

Serena's mind whirled, long ago when the Wise One's were leaving the Earth they gave their power and knowledge to the Merfolk, asking them to watch over the seas. Several families including her own had been given more than the rest along with the responsibility to look after the others. Those families became rulers of the ocean using their magic to make safe havens for the merfolk where predators and humans alike could not reach.

Serena was the most powerful mermaid to be born in several generations. At the age of ten she'd defeated a monster that had broken through the city's barrier and all the kingdom's defences and sung it into oblivion though she'd not known what she'd done at the time. In all the generations since the first Merfolk came to the sea there had only been four who could rival her power. If she gave up her magic she could no longer call on or control that power, no longer defend her kingdom or heal a wound or lift a clouded heart.

_But if I turn into a human I won't be able to do any of that anyway. I'll be too far away to be of any use if a disaster happens_ a part of her said. _But I could use my power to help the humans,_ another part countered._ Even If I didn't give up my magic when I transform I'll be nothing but a normal human anyway. Why not use it as the price?_

Yuuka patiently waited for her answer, seeming to be able to read the thoughts that moved behind Serena's eyes.

_The only thing that matters now is Darien and whether I can be with him. What am I willing to give up in order to see him?_ Her answer was immediate and surprised even herself with its sureness. _Everything._

"Then that's my answer then isn't it." Serena whispered to herself. She straightened from the hunched position she'd assumed when the meaning of Yuuka's words had first reached her. "I will pay the price." She told Yuuka who smiled slightly as if something had been confirmed in her mind that pleased her.

"Very well." She said and held out a small bottle to Serena that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere for the desk she sat at was bare of anything save a pen and inkwell. "This potion holds a spell that will transform you from a mermaid into a human. However…" she held up a hand in warning as Serena reached out to take it. "However even I have limits. You are a magical being and I am taking away your magic. Without it you cannot survive even as a human. The potion is charged with enough magic for you to live for one year as human. After that you will need a new source of magic to live, if not you will die."

Yuuka's gaze held Serena's as she continued speaking, forcing her to comprehend the seriousness of the words she was hearing. "Your true form is meant to be a mermaid, a magical being, power runs through your very veins and thus when transformed into a magicless human your body will remember its former state and long to return to it, magicless or no. The forces involved in changing your form are raw and powerful, your body will only withstand them once. You must never fully immerse yourself in water for the longing your body has to return to its true form will overcome the spell. If this happens your body will try to revert to its original shape but will be unable to maintain it because it lacks the strength and magic to truly change back. If the spell is overcome your magic reserves will be lost and you will die. Do you still want this wish granted?"

Serena's hand and voice trembled as she reached out and took the potion "Yes I do." she said,

"Then pay the price." Yuuka's voice was as hard as stone.

Serena felt a tingling sensation in her hands that quickly spread to the rest of her body, inexplicably she felt something flowing out of her, like a current that flowed against the tide. Yuuka held up her hand and a globe of sparkling opalescent liquid appeared above it which then disappeared.

"Drink the potion as soon as you return for you will no longer be able to survive in the sea on your own. The magic in it will allow you to reach dry land and the transformation will occur at sunrise."

Serena nodded, feeling an ache in her soul where the brightness of magic had once been but hardened her resolve. It was too late to turn back now. Bowing to Yuuka who nodded in return she spoke the words that would complete her previously set up spell and return her to her own dimension.

As soon as she was back in her room Serena drank the potion and tentatively tried to breathe. She could. The potion was working. Night had fallen while she'd taken her trip and Serena was glad that she'd gone to see the witch when she had. Night would make her escape that much easier. Feverishly she packed a bag of things she thought she'd need and left a shell explaining everything on her pillow along with her two crystal hairpins. Leaving the pins was hard, she'd only had them a little while but she knew that a true princess of the sea wouldn't leave her people as she was doing now and thus she didn't truly deserve them. Besides they would only be a reminder to her of what she had left behind anyway.

Once it was truly dark Serena carefully snuck out of the city. The swim to shore was frightening, the moon was waning and its light barely reached the depths of the ocean where she swam. Shadows moved all around her and every little eddy in the water seemed to be a predator about to eat her. Finally, exhausted by fear and exertion she made it to shore. Passing the place where she'd left Darien after his rescue she swam to the spot he always came to when he played and dragged herself up onto the beach. A glance at the moon showed it sinking below the horizon. Serena settled on the sand and with a prayer to Lady Serenity for strength she waited for the sun to rise.

As soon as the first rays of light peeked above the horizon pain lanced through her tail and up her body, needles of fiery magic coursed through her and her muscles convulsed as they were magically ripped apart and then reconfigured. The pain of having her body torn down to its very atoms would have made her scream if she had not already passed beyond the point of being able to make a sound. A red haze passed in front of her eyes turning the world blood red and mixing with the rays of the sun as it rose above the horizon. Unable to withstand the pain any longer Serena gave up the fight to stay conscious and withdrew into darkness.


	5. A New Life

Darien walked along the beach, flute in hand, enjoying the brisk morning air. It would be several minutes before his guards caught up with him and he relished the thought that for once he'd actually given them the slip and they hadn't noticed, giving him plenty of time to make good on his head start. He rounded a boulder and then abruptly stopped.

Lying on the beach, with the high tide washing over her was a girl! Her hair was almost as long as she was tall and covered much of her body, concealing anything that might cause embarrassment, much to his relief. Hurrying over to her prone form he gently picked her up and carried her out of the water, wrapping her in his cloak to dry her and keep her warm. He checked her pulse and was relieved to find it weak but steady. Carefully cradling her in his arms he set her before him on his horse and rose back to meet his guards.

As the girl shivered beneath his cloak he tried to figure who she might be and where she might have come from. She was thin and willowy with long slender arms and legs. Her hair was blonde but had platinum coloured streaks running through it. As she stirred her eyes half opened and he saw breathtakingly blue eyes framed by delicate lashes. On first impression he guessed that she was a noble of some sort, commoners all worked for a living so their skin was tanned and their hands were rough but this girl's hands were soft and delicate and her skin was as pale as the moon. She also wore a small fortune in jewellery and water-damaged clothes.

Shipwrecks were as common as storms in the sea and each new wreck was quickly divested of its cargo once it reached the seafloor. As such all Merfolk had their own stashes of jewellery, treasure and gold. The Royal family were no exceptions. As a Princess Serena had grown up with such finery until she no longer even thought about it.

When she left for the human world she wore only the jewellery that was worn by all Merfolk when they were dressing and thought nothing of it. To her she wore merely a pretty necklace with stones that matched her eyes, a bracelet of silver and gold that went with her hair and the earrings that went with the bracelet. An armband of gold and matching rings around her tail (now her ankles) completed her outfit.

To a mermaid, her adornment was merely a sign of her good taste, but to Darien and his guards, it was a sight to behold.

"I wonder how a lady like you came to be in this situation?" Darien murmured to the girl as some of his guards went for a litter and the others searched up and down the beach for signs of other survivors. "And were you saved by the same girl who saved me from the sea?

His guards returned after a while with a litter and carefully moved Serena onto it, then slung it between two horses. A commoner girl they'd met on the way rode beside her in the litter to watch over her as they made their way back to the palace.

"Oh the poor thing! Darien we have to send out messengers immediately and see if we can locate her family. Imagine being the only one to survive a shipwreck, how horrible!" The Queen exclaimed. "She must stay here as our guest until we find them."

Darien privately heaved a sigh of relief, Queen Gaia was the main obstacle he'd been hoping to overcome once he'd decided to keep the girl at the palace. She'd only woken up once on the journey home and the commoner girl Molly had kept her calm, explaining who they where, what was happening and where they were going. After that the girl had quickly dropped off to sleep again, not waking until the next day.

Darien had visited her several times, his mind nagging at him that something about the girl was familiar. From the first time he'd laid eyes on her at the beach something stirred in his memory, a half-remembered face, accompanied by a sweet melody and the sea. He shook his head, maybe when the girl woke up she could tell him if they'd ever met before. Until then, he'd just have to wait.

Serena slowly opened her eyes, _Strange_, she thought, '_my bed doesn't have hangings, and what's that chirping sound? Where am I?_ she turned her head. On the far side of the room she was in, clear glass windows were open; a slight breeze tickled her cheek and brought with it the chirping sound from outside. At this Serena started to get a bit scared, this wasn't her bed, she wasn't at home and she wasn't underwater so this must be the Dryworld. _I have to get back to the water before I dry out!_ she thought. Throwing back the covers she hurled herself out of the bed only to immediately fall over as she tried to swim with a tail that had been replaced with legs.

She lay on the floor for a minute as her mind registered this fact and then it all came flooding back –discovering Yuuko and drinking the potion, leaving her family and then passing out from the pain of her transformation. _So this _is_ the Dryworld. I wonder how I got here?_ On the heels of that thought, a door to the left of her bed opened and a young girl came in with a tray of food.

"Um, Milady, I've brought your breakfast," she said to the bed before noticing that Serena wasn't in it. Setting the tray down on a table she spotted Serena unsuccessfully trying to get up from the floor –hampered as she was by her nightgown and the unfamiliarity of moving with two legs rather than a tail.

The serving girl was nonplussed for a moment but recovered her composure with admirable swiftness. "Um milady? Would you like some help?" she asked and came over to grasp Serena's arms and balance her as she tried to get up. It took several tries before she got it, but eventually Serena was standing on wobbly legs and the serving girl helped her unsteadily back to the bed.

After serving her breakfast and removing the remains, the girl brushed Serena's hair and then opened the door to let several other people in.

A kindly old man, Queen Gaia and several other maids came in, two with chairs for the doctor and queen and two who came to stand by the bed.

Queen Gaia smiled gently at Serena, "I hope you are feeling better now child, you are in the Kingdom of Dovanabar in the guest wing of the Royal Palace. My son found you on the beach yesterday and brought you here to recover. I am Queen Gaia and this man is Doctor Andrew, can you tell me your name?"

Serena smiled at them both "My name is Serena." She told them, "Thankyou for rescuing me."

Gaia smiled back "Not at all child, is there anyone you would like us to contact? Family? Friends? I'm sure they're looking for you."

Thankfully Serena had her story planned out and she was able to answer the question easily, "No Your Majesty, all of my family where on that ship, we were moving to a new country and I hadn't had time to make new friends yet." She called up the memory of her grandmother's death and felt the tears running down her cheeks. Hating herself for lying to the people who were being so kind to her she promised herself she'd never do it again "I'm alone now" she broke off as the truth of those words hit her. She _was_ alone. Her parents and sister's weren't here to help her, she didn't have Luna to scold or argue with, she didn't even know if Melvin the seagull was close by. Real tears started flowing as isolation closed in around her.

"Oh my dear!" Gaia leaned over and hugged Serena to her, rubbing her back and holding her as she cried and cried. "There, there pet, it'll be alright." She soothed, "You can stay here until you're better and we find someone to look after you. Now how about we let Dr Andrew take a look at you and then we get you some breakfast. Some food and something to do will help take your mind of things. Dr Andrew?'

"Of course, here now let me take a look at you. The maid said you had trouble with your legs, would you mind if I examined them?"

Serena blushed but nodded her assent, letting go of the Queen to sit back on the bed. To her relief Andrew was brisk and efficient and within several minutes had finished his examination.

"Well trauma such as you've had sometime causes things like this to happen. The mind and body can't cope with what happened to it so parts of it shut down until the shock can be processed and assimilated. Your legs are completely fine, there is nothing wrong with bone, joint or muscle, I think maybe you just need to practice walking again, get your body to remember how to do the things it once did. With time I'm sure you will be able to walk, run and dance again as easily as you breathe." He looked at her with a twinkle in his eye, "I look forward to seeing that day My Lady." With that he packed up his bag and left.

Queen Gaia instructed the maids to help Serena dress and then help her outside to the garden "Some fresh air will do her good," she said, and then left too.

As soon as the Queen left the maids clustered around Serena, introducing themselves and heaping encouragement on her.

"Hi I'm Yumiko, I hope you get better soon. How did you get your hair two colours like that?"

"My name is Kuri, Don't worry we'll help you all the way, you'll be walking again in no time flat. By the way where did you get your clothes? They're fabulous!"

"Don't listen to those airheads My Lady, I'm Lizzie, now if you'll ignore them we can get you dressed and ready to go!"

Serena was nonplussed by the girls' ready acceptance of her and her disability not to mention her strange appearance and dramatic outburst but it warmed her heart nonetheless. Together with much chatter, good natured arguing and a lot of effort on all their parts they got Serena into a lovely pink dress with a beautiful blue shawl to keep her warm. Getting her to the garden was another obstacle as Serena refused to be carried but used the opportunity to immediately start 'relearning' how to walk. The girls were always there to catch her when she fell and Serena felt like she'd made at least a little progress by the time they reached the garden.

Once there they got her seated in a chair in a bright corner of the gardens where she could watch people come and go and they could talk to her. Lizzie fetched her some breakfast and Serena was amazed at the variety of food that Dryworlders ate. Merfolk food mainly consisted of different types of fish, kelp and seaweed but Dryworld food was much more interesting.

After breakfast her maids cleaned up the dishes and left, giving her a bell to ring that would summon them if she needed anything and a book to read so she wouldn't get bored. Settling back in her chair Serena closed her eyes and listened to all the sounds around her. She heard people conversing, leaves rustling and birds singing and other sounds she didn't recognise. She smiled as she heard the cry of seagulls, imagining that Melvin was somewhere among them, then the smile faded as she realised she might never be able see or talk to him again.

Realising that she was getting depressed Serena shook her head, it wasn't like her to get so down, she should be trying to figure out a way to see Darien. She looked around to see if she could see him and sighed when he was nowhere to be found. "Well they did give me a book to read, I may as well read it." She opened it and saw it was a tale of two lovers, separated by war who journeyed across whole continents to see each other again. So engrossed was she in her book and smothering her giggles at some of the more melodramatic parts she didn't notice someone was there until they coughed politely to announce their presence.

Looking around Serena was startled to Darien standing to her left, a smile on his face as he saw her surprise. "I see you're awake milady, do you mind if I talk with you for a moment?"

"Of course." Serena replied and then remembered she was supposed to curtsey like she'd seen the other courtiers do for the Queen. "Oh! Ah!" She failed miserably as her body refused to obey her and blushed furiously as Darien caught her and helped her back into her seat. "I'm so sorry." She apologised, her face as red as a tomato. "I'll do better next time."

Darien laughed, "Don't worry about it. I get sick of being bowed to anyway. I'd rather talk to someone's face not the back of their head."Not to worry I brought one with me" Sitting down he looked around the garden before glancing at the book in her lap.

"Oh they gave you Trials and Tears did they? I don't know how people read things like that. It's so unrealistic. Don't hesitate to ask for another if you don't like it, we have a whole library for you to choose from."

Serena smiled, "no it's alright, I'm actually finding it quite interesting. Especially the parts where they get all ….she trailed off as she tried to find a better word than mushy.

"romantic?" Darien supplied.

Serena smiled, "That's one way of putting it."

Darien shifted a bit in his seat. "I don't want to be rude but I have to ask." He said finally. "have we met before?"

Serena looked down. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I just feel that you look familiar and it's like I've heard your voice but a different one too."

"Well maybe we met a long time ago?" Serena suggested. "Although I'm sure I'd remember you if I'd seen you before."

Darien smiled, "Maybe that's it." He jumped up, turned and then bowed with a flourish. "Then My Lady I'd love to get reacquainted with you. Would you honour me with your conversation?"

Serena laughed. "Why of course My Lord. How could I refuse? Please take a seat."

Darien sat back down and grinned. "So what shall we talk about?"

Serena's thoughts raced as she tried to find a safe topic to discuss. Finally she asked "What are you interested in? Music? Hunting? The Arts?"

Darien took the hint, "I love music. I can play the flute you know."

From there the conversation flowed as naturally as breathing. Darien was passionate about music and Serena was just glad to have an excuse to be near him. Darien was surprised to find her quick, smart and unafraid to voice her own opinions –a stark contrast from many of the ladies at court who agreed with everything he or another male said. Serena was not very knowledgeable about human music but her eagerness to learn inspired Darien and he talked for some time about his favourite composers and musical pieces, promising to have some of them played for her as soon as he could.

Their discussion was only interrupted an hour later when one of Darien's guards came to fetch him because he was needed at the Council Meeting. The two of them were both startled at how much time had passed and regretfully ended their conversation, promising to meet again some other time and continue it then. As the sun was still high in the sky Serena decided it was time for more walking practice and rang the bell to summon her maids. Together they made it back to her rooms where she asked them to clear a space of furniture. She then practiced walking for a whole hour before her muscles, unused to such activity gave out and she was forced to rest.

Sitting in a chair by the window she watched as a small gathering of courtiers turn into an impromptu garden dance when a young and obviously in love couple started to dance to a tune one of their friends played on a violin. Other couples started dancing, musicians were summoned and soon the whole court was dancing around the open gardens. Serena watched them longingly until the dinner bell rang and the court adjourned to the Great Hall where dinner was served. Serena's was delivered to her room, as she was not able to walk far enough to get to the Great Hall yet. Surprisingly however Darien came to eat dinner with her.

They carried on their conversation from the morning –music running onto philosophy turning to poetry and then to dancing as Serena asked for details on what she'd seen some of the dancers doing during the day. Darien quickly saw past her façade of interest to the raw envy she held at the dancers' ability to move so gracefully, quickly and confidently around the dance floor.

Feeling sorry for her, he knew it must be hard to watch people dance when you couldn't even walk, he said "Don't worry, I promise that as soon as you're strong enough I'll teach you to dance and then we'll show the whole court how good you are."

Serena's face lit up, "Do you really think I can dance like them?" she asked.

Darien laughed at her eager anticipation, "Well maybe not just yet, we'll start with the basics first but yes, I'm sure that one day you'll be able to dance just as well as they can."

Serena all but glowed at the thought.

They finished dinner and Endymion had to leave to attend one of the many parties that were held around the city each week by the nobility. He assured her she wasn't missing anything by not going, "It's all just talking about boring subjects like fashion and hair and then drinking until half the court is drunk and then stumbling back to your house to do it all again tomorrow. It's stupid really."

Serena smiled and waved goodbye as he walked out and shut the door behind him.


	6. Dancing and Singing

It took her a month to learn to walk properly and for any amount of time. It was another month after before she learnt even the simplest of dances but with Darien as her teacher she persevered. Her maids helped her practice whenever she had time, which wasn't all that often now. Once she could walk a reasonable distance Queen Gaia had taken to bringing her along on her royal outings. Darien often went with her but just as often she spent her time with the Queen. Gaia saw the smart woman behind the shyness and disability, drawing her out of her shell and allowing her to learn about her new world from the shadows her entourage.

Time passed and Serena slowly made friends of her own among the nobles. The girls loved her because she was always happy to listen to their troubles or gossip and she loved dressing up with them to have picnics, sail on the river or visit them at their estates. The boys loved her because of her kindness, spirit and refusal to use her disability as a crutch. More than once she was seen to stumble and fall to the ground only to get straight back up with a smile on her face and continue on, they admired her courage.

Darien saw all this and was glad she was making herself comfortable in her new home. His friendship with Serena had deepened over the weeks since her arrival to a point where he'd revealed to her his deepest secret. His mastery of magic. Only Endymion knew of his secret and after long careful thought he had decided to tell Serena as well. By now she'd shown many times over that keeping confidences was nothing new to her so during one of his many visits to see how she was doing he'd taken her aside and showed her one of the small magics he could do.

She'd been wide-eyed with wonder for a moment and then the weight of the secret and his trust made her look him in the eye and quietly thank him for showing her. Then in a characteristic mood swing she'd given him a massive hug and asked him to show her more, mischief gleaming in her eyes. Darien had laughed and complied, relief and happiness making that time one of the golden moments he loved to go back and remember. Over time he showed her almost everything he'd learned, showing her the books he studied and the introducing her to some of the other magic users in the kingdom. These were clandestine meetings as magic was something many people associated with mermaids and other 'evil creatures'. Magic users often found it necessary to keep their powers secret, known only to a few. Darien and his brother were working to change that but it was slow going trying to change centuries of hardened belief.

Another bright spot in his life was the burgeoning relationship between his brother and the visiting princess who had found him on the beach.

Endymion and Princess Beryl had fallen in love at first sight during the search for Darien and Beryl had refused to leave the brothers alone at the inn once he'd been found. Endymion had been close to total collapse from exhaustion and had minor scrapes and bruises and Darien had his injuries from the accident. She'd sent messengers home with letters explaining her lateness and then waited patiently with Endymion until Darien had been pronounced out of danger and recovering before attempting to return home.

That wasn't the end of the story though because as soon as she got back home she orchestrated the opening of diplomatic relations with her country and theirs. Before long she and some other diplomats were at the palace discussing trade unions and other matters and attending parties and balls by the dozen. As a prince of his country and with Darien pleading ill health to get out of the duty Endymion found himself more often than not escorting Beryl around the city and court and finding she was by far the best companion he'd ever had accompany him.

Before long they were spending more time than was necessary together, not quite ignoring friends and family because neither was rude enough for that but becoming more and more absorbed in each other as time passed. Both sets of parents could see which way the wind was blowing and quietly opened negotiations in the hope that what was growing between the prince and princess would resolve into a marriage alliance for both countries. Their hopes bore fruit and four months after her arrival another letter was sent to Beryl's parents formally requesting their daughter's hand in marriage.

The rest was history and two months later negotiations were complete and preparations were being made for the wedding. The engagement would last 6 months, time enough for both wedding preparations and for the Princess to travel around and meet the people of the kingdom. The blushing couple couldn't be happier and neither could their parents.

Darien was almost beside himself with happiness both for his brother and himself: with Endymion marrying a princess he was a shoe-in for the position of king and that left Darien free to play with his magic and do the other necessary and not quite politically correct things that Endymion needed done but couldn't be associated with.

Serena was in transports of joy for her friend. Beryl had arrived around the same time she had and they'd been introduced as soon as she could walk far enough to answer the door. Almost in spite of herself she found Beryl to be an ideal friend. Despite Beryl replacing her in Darien's mind she couldn't bring herself to dislike the girl. They had so much fun together. They talked about anything and everything including Endymion and Beryl's growing relationship with him. They went riding and dancing and did all the other things girls their age did. The court, dresses, music were other favourite conversation topics as well as anything else that took their fancy and both girls felt like they'd known each other forever. Endymion couldn't have been happier for them, glad that Beryl had found a friend so soon in her new country.

Close as they grew it and in love already it was Beryl who noticed Serena's feelings for Darien and encouraged her to pursue him.

"Alright Serena, you can't fool me anymore. You like Darien don't you?" she asked one morning as they sewed together in her room. Serena turned bright pink and almost stabbed herself with her needle. "I, uh don't know what you're talking about." She replied, focusing obviously on her work.

"Oh come on, I've seen the way you look at him. You blush, your eyes sparkle, your breathing quickens and you look as giddy as a fifteen year old who just got asked to the ball."

Serena blushed "Is it that obvious?"

Beryl grinned "Oh yes. I'm surprised Queen Gaia hasn't picked up on it yet. But trust me she will and then my wedding bells won't be the only ones ringing."

Now Serena really did stab herself with her needle. Sucking on her finger she refused to look at Beryl "You know that's not true. He's not in love me anyway. I'm just a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear. Besides I'm just a nobody who washed up on the beach. I have no dowry or money, the only reason I'm even still here is because Queen Gaia took me in."

"Pish, tush. Darien's a_ prince_! If he can't support you no one can. Besides, it's a good thing if he doesn't care about you having no money. It means he's interested in you as a person. And he _is_ interested."

"No he's not." Serena put down her sewing. "The only girl he's interested in is that mermaid Endymion claims he saw and he thinks saved him from the sea before you found him on the beach. You know, the one he can't remember but knows was there because of those things she left behind. He's been looking for her since he could get up. He even asked me if she was the one that'd saved me when I washed up on the beach." She held up her fingers in imitation quotation marks "after all it would explain how I survived when none of the others did."

Beryl sighed at the tactlessness of that statement, "He didn't pull his punches did he?" she said.

Serena smiled, "no but it's okay. He only asked after we'd known each other long enough to be as blunt as that."

"Which would be about two weeks ago by my reckoning?"Beryl grinned and ducked the cushion Serena threw at her. "just kidding!"

Endymion fended off a cushion thrown at him by his brother and grinned. "Hey I'm only telling the truth. Beryl's been at me for a week to somehow get you two to confess your feelings for each other. It's as plain as the nose on my face that you like Serena. Beryl says she likes you.

Darien shook his head "it's not that." he said, "I know she likes me but to me she's just a good friend."

"Tell me another one." Endymion replied and gave his brother a look that spoke volumes about of his opinion Darien's truthfulness.

"Really! I mean it!" Darien said. "I like her as a friend and besides anytime now she could return to her own country and I'd never see her again. I can't marry a girl who could disappear like that."

"Do you seriously think she would do that? She as much as told you she's now an orphan and has no idea where her countries -either of them –is in relation to us _and_ she has a good friend in Beryl who I know will refuse to let her sit around her pining after you for very long."

Endymion looked his brother in the eye and delivered his ultimatum. "Either you sort things out with Serena one way or the other, or Beryl is going to take her back to her country and set her up with someone there because she sure as eggs isn't going to let her or you mope around the palace for much longer thinking neither of you loves the other."

"Alright, alright." Darien held up his hands in defeat. I'll talk to Serena after all the wedding hassle is dealt with."

It was several weeks after both conversations that Beryl discovered Serena's incredible voice when she made the mistake of singing a ballad in front of her one evening. It was a haunting ballad, about the magic of the Moon and the Sirens who lived in its seas. Full of nonsense and bad poetry but compensating for that with a beautiful, soulful melody. When she finished Serena opened her eyes to see Beryl sitting wide-eyed on her chair with her mouth open.

"That was incredible!" she cried when she'd recovered enough from the shock to form words. "Why haven't you sung for anyone before? You could make millions if you performed professionally!"

"Really? I'm good enough to be a professional?" Serena was amazed. As a mermaid her voice had been exceptional, however as a human and without her magic she'd had no idea if her voice was any good and had been too scared to sing before now.

Beryl grinned, "You _have_ to let Queen Gaia hear you!" she exclaimed, "I'm sure she'd love to listen!" she jumped up and dragged Serena out the door, dropping her sewing into its basket and towing her along the corridors until she came to the Queen's audience chamber. The guard saw the two of them and Beryl's determined expression and wisely let them in. Luckily Gaia had no one in there at the time and Beryl was able to present her case without interruption.

"Your Majesty," she curtseyed, followed by Serena, "Serena is guilty of being a horrible person for hiding a huge and wonderful secret from us the whole time she's been here. I've brought her here today so she can absolve herself."

Gaia's eyebrows rose, what secret could Serena have been hiding? "Explain at once." She ordered.

Serena glared at her friend but Beryl just grinned. "It's not as awful as she makes it sound your majesty. I don't know why she brought me here now, it's nothing that warrants us barging in on you like this.

Gaia relaxed the tiniest bit but still frowned at the girls. "Get to the point please."

"Oh stop being such a prude." Beryl complained. "Your majesty Serena here is in possession of the most wonderful voice in the world and I insist she sing for you right here and now and then that she sing at my wedding!"

"I see." Gaia sat back in her chair and motioned for Beryl to take a seat too. "Sing Serena, let's hear how good you are."

Serena took a deep breath, let it out and then took her stance. This time she sang one of the songs from a party she and Darien had gone to several days ago. It was a bright catchy song and she'd been singing it almost non-stop to herself since she heard it. Beryl clapped this time when she finished and it was the Queen's turn to be shocked, although she was too well schooled to show it. Finally she smiled at Serena "Well that is something I did not expect child. Your voice is simply astonishing, I too would have to insist that you sing again, and most definitely sing for Beryl's wedding. Such a voice as yours should not be kept hidden away!

Beryl nodded and then grinned to herself as her devious mind presented an idea to her that promised to make everyone involved deliriously happy. Now that Endymion was going to be King (he was the one marrying a princess and personality wise the best suited to ruling) there was much to be said for Darien marrying the rising star singer that Serena was sure to be as soon as she made her debut. They would make a very good match and were already in love with each other, for all they wouldn't admit it. The only problem would be getting one of them to make the first move. Thoughtfully Beryl glanced at Gaia and saw the same devious thoughts reflected in her eyes. This called for some serious plotting.

Serena sighed as she half-dragged Beryl back to her room and then retired to her own suite. With just weeks to go before Beryl and Endymion's wedding the castle was in an uproar and Beryl should not be worrying about her and her little problems when she was so busy.

Brainstorming for something to do Serena gazed out the window. It was too hot to go dancing with her other friends but too late in the afternoon to go sailing on the river. Sighing again she took out her book and turned to the page she'd closed it on last time.

Idly she looked back over the past months and smiled sadly to herself, her life was so good at the moment. The only thing marring her happiness was her lack of success in finding a new source of magic to keep herself alive. Worry and fear gnawed at her in her private moments and even now as the date of her transformation drew ever nearer. Ironically, when she'd actually gone and calculated the days and months since her transformation she'd discovered that it was on the eve of Endymion and Beryl's wedding. The tragedy and drama of this not lost on her.

Tears started leaking out of her eyes, but she brushed them away. "Get a hold of yourself girl!" she said sternly. "There's still time, so just look!" Throwing herself out of her chair she marched to the library and very nearly locked herself in there until the wedding. In her talks with the other magic-users in the kingdom she'd pried every bit of information out of them that she could. None of it had been useful and so she'd resorted to history and text books to try and find an answer. Unfortunately time was against her and it was running out fast.

Beryl, her other girlfriends and Darien tried their best to pry her out of the library and archives as often as they could, concerned about the change in her as the wedding grew closer but she refused to tell them anything. She tried to weasel out of singing at the wedding and reception but Beryl refused to budge an inch without knowing the reason why and Serena was too downhearted to put up much of a fight.

The day of the wedding dawned and Serena still had no leads on a new source of magic. She could barely stomach the thought of singing to a happy crowd when her death was so close at hand. She almost ran away but gave herself a stern talking to. "The least I can do is give them a happy memory of me." She said, and then completely broke down, crying for herself because she didn't want to die and for her friends who she would be leaving and for Beryl who's wedding she would probably ruin. It took her hours to get her composure back but when she finally emerged from her room she was able to smile at everyone and help Beryl get herself ready.

The wedding went smoothly, Beryl and Endymion kissed and Serena sang, although she cried for the last song. Everyone thought she was just happy for the newlyweds but in reality fear was beginning to take over and it was all she could do to smile and laugh with the wedding party as they boarded the ship that would sail the newlyweds off on their honeymoon. Moored just outside and to one side of the harbour, the celebratory party went on well into the night. Endymion and Beryl retired at moonrise to their suite amidst much blushing, winking and knowing glances between the elder generation and their friends. A few minutes later and the partygoers switched to another ship and watched the lovers' one sail off into the darkness, its lanterns fading into the night.


	7. Choice

Serena melted into the background as far as was possible, too depressed to dance or enjoy the music. Her death was fast approaching with the dawn and she had no one to help or comfort her. As the moon travelled across the sky and the party died down Serena stayed on deck to think and avoid hearing talk of what the Prince and Beryl might be doing at that moment. Moving to the rail she gazed down at the water, feeling the wind brush against her cheek and wondered how her family was doing beneath the sea.

As she looked out over the water, something stirred beneath the surface. Shapes appeared in the depths, rising towards her and resolving into four mermaids that made her gasp when she recognised them.

Rei glared at her, "You're lucky we found you idiot, do you know how long it took us to track you down once Luna told us about where you saw that human? It's just as well Father had every ship coming out of the harbour cross-examined to see if you were on it. What were you doing holed up in that castle for a year? It's almost too late!"

"Easy Rei," Lita cautioned, "she didn't know so go a little easier on her okay?"

Mina agreed, "yeah before you get into the serious stuff we need to return something to her. Here Serena catch." She threw a small bag up to Serena who caught it and opened it to find her two hairpins nestled inside.

"Once a mermaid, always a mermaid Serena." Mina called up to her, "Now you put them on before we say anything else okay?"

Smiling tearfully Serena nodded and clipped the beautiful hairpins into her hair, which she'd coincidentally had done up in the double bun royal hairstyle for the night. With them secured in her hair Serena looked back down at her sisters.

Ami took a deep breath and then spoke "After we found out what you'd done we went to see Yuuka and asked for a way to turn you back into a mermaid. Your body is not strong enough to handle the stress of being transformed back into a mermaid right and you also have no magic? Well she gave us a way to change that."

Her sisters traded glances and then Rei held up a small dagger. "This can drain power from anything that it cuts. Prince Darien is descended from a line of powerful mages, the Wise Ones who left for the Moon hundreds of years ago. If you stab him with the dagger it will take his strength and magic and give it to you!"

"You can jump off the ship and turn back into a mermaid again! Please Serena, use the dagger and come back to us!" Mina pleaded. Rei and Mina also looked hopefully up at her.

"We missed you so much Serena, please come back." Lita begged, who else can I test my recipes on? You know no one else appreciates them like you do."

Serena, clutched the dagger with white knuckles, too unsure to give an answer yet. The sea called to her like a moth to a flame and hope for her future rose up but her heart screamed at the idea of harming Darien. "I...need to think about this." She told her sisters, "Just, let me think for a while okay?"

With their reluctant assent Serena turned away from the rail and staggered over to slump down on the stairs nearby. It seemed like she sat there for an age, paralysed with indecision but finally through all her whirling thoughts one truth finally stood out. Endymion was happy and Darien would be eventually too. Even without her they'd have each other. Darien still had time, he'd fall in love just like his brother and then he'd be happy. Beryl would be devastated but she had Endymion. If she disappeared they would grieve for a time and then move on with their lives but if she killed Darien with her selfishness, thousands of people would sorrow and perhaps suffer for his death.

Rocking back and forth she tried to think of anything else she could do but came up with nothing. It was either die tonight as a human or kill Darien in order to return to the sea.

_I can't do it._ Serena lifted her head, tears filling her eyes. She had made her decision "I can't hurt him for my own selfishness." The tears started running down her face but she smiled as she thought, _they're happy now, they don't need me. _It helped to know that Endymion would be there to comfort Beryl and both of them could help Darien once they discovered her disappearance,_ it's better this way_.

She got up, looked at the spot where her sisters waited for her to reappear and walked to the rear of the ship, away from them. She didn't want them to try and talk her out of it at the last minute. Apologising to both them and Yuuka she held out the dagger and let it drop into the sea. Moonlight flashed, reflected from its surfaces as it spiralled down to hit the water with an audible splash. Gathering her will and courage she stepped up onto the railing.

She paused there for a moment, silently saying her goodbyes to the world, her sisters, her family, her friends in the sea and on the land and finally Darien. Holding the rigging for balance she took a deep breath and sang her final farewell. As she opened her mouth to sing, her hairpins sparkled in the moonlight, drawing power from the moon and the larger crystal that gave birth to it. Shining brightly their magic spilled over into Serena, temporarily giving her back the power she'd given up.

With emotion and magic giving her voice strength and beauty it hadn't known for nearly a year Serena wept silent tears of gratitude and pain. At least in her last moments she could feel the magic of the sea once more.

Darien was propelled up the steps by both his mother and a posse of Serena's friends whom she'd gathered for this express purpose. There could be no better time for him to declare his love for Serena than now. Endymion was safely married, the Moon was up, the sea was calm. It was perfect.  
"So go!" she ordered. And closed the door firmly in his face.

Embarrassed by his mother Darien grimaced at the door and turned to look for Serena. _Shouldn't she be asleep by now?_ He wondered. He spotted her by the railing and walked over, wondering what on earth she could be up to this late at night. Curiosity turned to concern as he saw her step up onto the railing, holding a rope to keep her balance as the ship rocked gently. Then his concern evaporated as she opened her mouth and began to sing.

Her voice soared over the ocean like a wave, magical and beautiful and somehow utterly familiar to him. The song she sang was the same one he'd heard the mermaid sing years and years ago on the sunlit beach. Darien stood mesmerised as the mysterious dreams he'd had over the past ten years came flooding back him. A girl standing by the sea, her face in shadow but tears glittering on her cheeks. A mermaid who somehow he knew was the same girl, swimming in stormy seas, her hair blowing in the wind. A crystal that reverberated to the sound of the same song he now heard coming from Serena's lips. _It's not possible!_

As the song came to its end, Serena turned her face up to the sky, the crystals in her hair reflecting its light like miniature moons themselves. Wiping away her tears she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, before leaning forward and falling down to the sea below.

S_he's not going to…. Oh no I think she is!_ Darien sprang forward, grabbing Serena's arm before she fell and hauled her back onto the deck. "What do you think you're doing?" he shouted at her, shaking her shoulders for emphasis. When she only looked at him dumbly, too shocked at seeing him to speak he let her go and sat down on a handy barrel nearby.

"Serena!" different voices called her name now. Darien looked around wildly to see where they were coming from. The voices called again and he realised that they were somehow coming from below the ship! His curiosity piqued but still keeping an eye on Serena he peeked over the railing and nearly fell overboard in shock. There were mermaids down there!

Shock warred with grief inside Serena as she saw that it was Darien, who'd caught her before she could fall _he must have heard me singing_ she realised and was glad that he'd been able to hear her true voice one last time. Now he'd get to see the reason for it. Smiling sadly at him she used the last of the magic that had been leant to her and summoned a single wave that swelled up over the side of the ship, immersing her in salt water for a single moment and then flowing away. She couldn't look at him, she refused to look at him. Seeing his face would only make leaving him harder.

She fought to keep from crying out as once again her body underwent the painful transition from form to form. Accepting the pain she wrapped her arms around herself and waited for it to recede. She didn't lose consciousness this time and once it was over she found that she was once again dressed in the breastband and skirt that she'd worn as a mermaid during her first transformation. Hardly wanting to look she fearfully gazed up at the man she loved to see what his reaction was. A strange burning sensation started at the tip of her tail.

Darien sank to his knees in shock as he saw Serena transform in front of his eyes. The voices called to Serena again and she glanced back down at them before turning her gaze to the floor. The movement drew his attention to her hair where he saw the two hairpins, glowing with incredible beauty pinned to her buns, glittering in the moonlight.

At the sight of the hairpins something stirred in the back of his mind, a faceted crystal feather and a scale from some unknown sort of fish. His hand went the pocket that held the only clues to what had happened to him the night of the storm while his eyes examined the hairpins. There! He removed the crystal petal from his pocket and stared at it in wonder as he held it to the left pin and saw it fit perfectly with the gap on its flower.

Darien looked into her face, saw the sadness and something else much deeper in her eyes and suddenly the truth came to him.

Serena was the one who had saved him and she was a mermaid! The same mermaid he'd seen ten years ago. Somehow she'd transformed herself into a human and made her way to his kingdom. Somehow she'd found him once again!

Thoughts whirled around in his head as he tried to take it all in but one thought kept coming to the surface. _How did I not see?_ _Why didn't she tell me?_

Serena saw the dawning of realisation in Darien's eyes along with the pain that she'd known it would cause. _It's time I let him go._ Using the railing she tried to drag herself to her feet only to remember that they were now a tail. The burning sensation had spread from her fins, up her tail and then throughout her body and she couldn't suppress a gasp of pain as it seemed to grow hotter the more it spread. Her tail began to turn transparent and then from the edges started to dissolve into water. Unable to hold herself on the rail any longer she sank back down to the deck, trying desperately not to cry out. The burning reached her heart and began its deadly work.

Darien watched helplessly as Serena went dead white, her face drawn with pain and her fingers making white knuckled fists as something attacked her from inside. "What's happening to you!" he cried as water flowed endlessly from somewhere, streaming over edge of the deck like rain. Cries of sorrow came from the mermaids there and the calls for Serena redoubled. She shook her head and smiled at him, raising a hand to touch his cheek and then looking at it sadly as it turned transparent and started to dissolve.

"Why." The word held a multitude of questions..

When she answered her voice was so quiet he almost couldn't hear, "Because I love you." She hung her head, "I couldn't bear to watch you drown when you fell overboard, even the thought of it caused me much pain so I took you to shore and waited till you were found."

Tears started leaking out of her eyes again, more water flowing away from her. "But when they took you away I couldn't stand not seeing you again so I found a way to become human in the hope that even if I couldn't make you see or love me I could at least be nearer to you. I knew that my chances were slim but then you found me on the beach and took me to the palace and I began to think there might be hope."

She looked at him now, her eyes holding his in a spell he could not break. "Then Princess Beryl came and we became friends. I tried to leave all of you with your happiness but I couldn't." She held out her other now transparent hand to him "See, it's nearly finished, don't worry, I won't bother you with my selfishness for much longer."

Tears were running down his face too now as feelings he'd long denied surged to the fore. "I do love you! I just couldn't admit it." He tried to grasp her hand and failed as it passed right through him. Grabbing her shoulders he made her look at him, "Please! I love you, you were there for me when I needed someone to talk to, who I could share my secret's with. You made me smile when I was depressed and laugh when I was sad. Please don't leave me Serena, I don't want you to go!"

Her shoulders felt indistinct beneath his hands, water streamed through his fingers and not all of it was her tears. "I love you Serena," he said stubbornly, "tell me what's happening so I can help."

"She's dying you fool!" one of the mermaids shouted at him from below.

"Serena!" another voice sobbed, "Please come back! Don't die on us like this! Please don't die!"

Darien looked down at them, "She's dying?"

"Yes she is Dryworlder Prince, and she's dying because of you!" the raven haired mermaid glared up at him.

"Because of me?" Darien didn't know what to think, "What's happening to her?"

"The spell that turned her into a human is killing her. Her body is breaking apart because it's too weak to go through the transformation!"

"What can I do?" Darien was desperate, he didn't know exactly what was going on but he'd only just found Serena and he wasn't about to let her die on his account. "How can I save her?"

One of the mermaids looked up at him, her mouth set in a grim line, "You have to die and let your blood wash over her legs. The magical energy you possess will flow into her and give her the strength her body needs to complete the transformation. She'll be able to return to the sea."

Serena shook her head as violently and struggled with her weak body to get away from him, "No!" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "This is my choice, it's too late anyway. Let me go."

Darien held her even tighter, "No, you're the one who's given up everything for me, me who couldn't even open my eyes enough to see. I love you Serena and I'll do anything to keep you with me."

Serena smiled sadly at him, "I'm glad you feel that way." she whispered, then, as she completely disappeared her last words echoed in the night "You'll feel that way again. Make sure you tell the woman you fall in love with, I know it will make her happy." The crystal pins that had been in her hair dropped into his hands, shining in the moonlight. Darien stared dumbly at them, unable to comprehend that the girl who had haunted his life for eleven years was gone.

"Serena!" Her sisters called her name as one, then, when there was no reply Rei started singing. It was an old merfolk song, sung in remembrance of the dead. One by one her sisters joined in, pouring out their sorrow and grief to the sky and the sea.

Darien held the crystal pins in his hands, listening to the sorrowful song of the mermaids below. _What can I do?_ The thought repeated itself over and over in his mind; _there must be something I can do!_ Something started to stir deep inside him, a fierce anger at the injustice of it all. Serena hadn't done anything wrong! She'd fallen in love with him and then done everything she could to make him happy. She didn't deserve to die!

**Then save her.**

The voice echoed in the vaults of his mind and spoke with a voice of a woman whose age and power where immeasurable.

**You are my descendant. The offspring of beings whose power rivalled that of Lady Serenity's. You have that power sleeping inside of you. Use it and you can save the one you love.**

An enormous power flowed through Darien, opening his hands he saw something glowing next to the crystal hairpins. A golden stone glowed with a fierce light that reflected off the hairpins, sending rainbow beams of light all throughout the sky. As he looked on, the crystal feathers on the hairpins seemed to burn with an inner fire, drinking in the light of the golden stone. He knew what he had to do.

Deep in his heart he made a wish.

The golden crystal blazed in his hand, light washed over him and far away the Silver Crystal beneath the sea and the Imperium Silver Crystal on the Moon both simultaneously burst into brilliant light. The two hairpins he held pulsed with a light brighter than the sun, once, twice and after the third time when the light faded, Serena, a mermaid once more and alive was held in the arms of Darien, transformed into a merman and sitting on the rail. Darien smiled sadly at the ship and its' sleeping inhabitants, knowing it would be some time before they saw each other again and that both his and Serena's disappearance would cause a lot of confusion. As Serena stirred in his arms for the second time in as many years he leapt overboard, to meet her sisters and assure them that she was fine and that he would explain everything once they got to a place where Serena could rest and they could talk undisturbed.

One week later.

Endymion looked out over the horizon, Beryl at his side and the ship rocking beneath their feet. It had been over a week since Darien and Serena's disappearance. He and his new wife were on their way home from their honeymoon early after the search for them was called off. He couldn't understand it, they'd both been at the wedding and party afterwards, his mother had pushed Darien to confess to Serena and then they'd both disappeared without a word to anyone. Gaia thought they'd just eloped but Endymion knew better, Darien would have found a way to at least leave a message before doing something like that.

Sighing he turned to Beryl, "You don't think they could've…..?"

"No, wherever they are they must have a reason for not contacting us." Beryl answered. Leaning her head on his shoulder she squeezed his hand comfortingly. "Don't worry we'll find them."

Endymion sighed. "When we do I swear I'm going to kill him."

"Ouch, that's a bit harsh brother." A familiar voice said.

"Well we do kind of deserve it." Another equally familiar one replied.

"But I think our reasons were valid enough, we did have a lot to sort out."

"True, but I think it's high time we apologised."

The ship listed heavily to one side as an enormous wave rose up and washed over the side just missing the couple steadying themselves on the railing. Riding the wave Darien and Serena sat together on the rail, smiling at the astounded pair of humans in front of them. Before Beryl or Endymion could speak Serena's Crystal Hairpins flashed and the Golden Crystal embedded in Darien's crown glowed and when the light faded they stood together on the deck, human shaped once again.

At Beryl's questioning look Serena grinned. "Why don't we go down to your cabin. It's a long story."


	8. Epilogue

**Heyla everyone. A recent reviewer commented that my story didn't finish very well and needed an epilogue or something. After reading my story again I had to agree. So here is a proper epilogue for the Little Mermaid and I hope a much better send off. Enjoy and feel free to give advice on improvements, it's always welcome. **

Epilogue

"….and then Darien used the power of the power of the Golden Crystal, plus power from the Silver Crystal under the sea and the Imperium Silver Crystal on the Moon to turn me back from water into a mermaid and transform him into one too." Serena finished the story and gazed lovingly at Darien.

"Who knew he was a descendant of the Wise Ones?"

"Darien ran his fingers through his hair, embarrassed. "yeah, it's kinda hard to take in, that I had that kind power all along." He traded mournful glance with his brother. "Think of all the opportunities we missed."

Endymion grinned. "Maybe it's just as well didn't find out untill now. We caused enough mayhem without it when we were younger."

Darien sighed ruefully. "Still."

Beryl waved a hand in dismissal. "Never mind that, I want to know _why_ you didn't tell us all this before Serena? We could have helped you!"

Serena stared at her shoes guiltily. "Well I didn't want to make you worry, and I wasn't sure you would believe me. After all I had no proof and the attitude towards magic users in this kingdom and others isn't the best you know."

But still!" Beryl grabbed her friends hands and made Serena look at her." You should have told us! We're your friends you can trust us! Promise me that next time you will!" she said fiercely.

Serena was unable to refuse her friends beseeching eyes "I promise." She said.

Beryl sighed but then perked up a mischievous grin on her face. "So when are you two getting married? And don't think you can get away with anything less than what you put me through Serena, I intend to make this the biggest, fanciest celebration either of our nations has ever seen."

Serena blushed a red so bright it must have been painful for her fair skin. "We.. ah.. hadn't really thought that far ahead actually. We only just got all the explaining done back home before we came back here to let you guys know we were alright."

Beryl nodded and then a thought occurred to her then which made her expression turn from evil to downright diabolical. "You realise you'll probably have to be married twice." She asked Serena with false innocence. "After all you're both a mermaid princess and consort to Prince Darien. I doubt either kingdom is going to be happy with only one of them hosting the event and I imagine they'll be customs and things each side will want to follow and I'll bet you can't fit all of them into one wedding."

At Serena's look of panic Beryl laughed maniacally and rubbed her hands together. "Now I get to plan _two_ weddings!" she crowed. "What fun!"

Serena shared a horror-filled glance with Darien before moaning and raising her hands in surrender. Beryl would at least keep things manageable. Maybe.

"I wonder if we could elope." Darien mused before ducking that glare Beryl sent his way. "Fine, fine." He said from behind a cushion shield. "But if I die from exhaustion or embarrassment I'm coming back to haunt you."

Endymion laughed "Don't worry brother." He said. "If I worst comes to worst you can always flee to the Moon. Maybe that's the reason the Wise Ones left in the first place."

"We're doomed." Darien groaned then grabbed Serena's hand and towed her out of the room. "They'll have to catch us first though!" he shouted over his shoulder as they pelted towards the safety of their cabin and its locked door.

Beryl laughed and collapsed onto the vacated couch, sighing happily as Endymion came to join her. "It's all going to be alright. Isn't it?" she said as he pulled her onto his lap for a kiss.

"Of course it is." He replied. "And if it isn't we'll just change the future until it is. Now why don't we give those two some alone time to contemplate the horrible things you're going to inflict on them during their wedding and go tell the captain to head for home so we can give everyone the good news?"

Beryl giggled, "that sounds wonderful." Kissing him one last time she rose from the couch as graceful as a swan and held out her hand. "and we'll walk that road together won't we?"

Endymion took her hand and kissed it "Always together." He said simply and walked with her out of their cabin and onto the deck to tell the Captain to set sail for home.


End file.
